Effect of Trichoderma Bioactive Metabolite Treatments on the Production, Quality, and Protein Profile of Strawberry Fruits

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma produce
secondary metabolites having several biological activities that affect
plant metabolism. We examined the effect of three Trichoderma bioactive metabolites (BAMs), namely, 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6PP),
harzianic acid (HA), and hydrophobin 1 (HYTLO1), on yield, fruit quality,
and protein representation of strawberry plants. In particular, 6PP
and HA increased the plant yield and number of fruits, when compared
to control, while HYTLO1 promoted the growth of the roots and increased
the total soluble solids content up to 19% and the accumulation of
ascorbic acid and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside in red ripened
fruits. Proteomic analysis showed that BAMs influenced the representation
of proteins associated with the protein metabolism, response to stress/external
stimuli, vesicle trafficking, carbon/energy, and secondary metabolism.
Results suggest that the application of Trichoderma BAMs affects strawberry plant productivity and fruit quality and
integrate previous observations on deregulated molecular processes
in roots and leaves of Trichoderma-treated
plants with original data on fruits.